Fried Apple Spring Rolls

2.8 from 24 ratings

Any tart-sweet apple will do for this recipe, such as Pippin and Granny Smith. These Fried Apple Spring Rolls are a novel treat for dinner party guests, with their rum-spiked mascarpone and tart-sweet apple filling. Give these a try! See all appetizer recipes.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 -2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon (generous) ground cinnamon or cassia
3 tablespoon dark rum
1 tablespoon finely diced crystallized ginger
4 tart-sweet apples (1 1/3 pounds total), peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 large shanghai spring roll skins (lumpia wrappers)
1 egg, beaten well
canola oil, for deep-frying
powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter, lemon juice, and sugar until melted. Add the cinnamon, rum, ginger, and apples. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened and collapsed to roughly half of their original volume, 8-10 minutes. (It should mash down as you stir but there should be some visible chunks left.)
Add the cream cheese and mascarpone and mix well. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. Then, stir in the vanilla extract. Taste and add extra sugar for a balanced sweet-tart finish. Set aside to cool completely before using.
For each spring roll, place a skin on your work surface. (I had large square skins so I placed it with one of the corners pointing toward me.) Position 2 packed tablespoons of filling in the lower third of the skin. Shape it into a ¾-inch-wide log. Bring up the bottom to cover the filling, and give it a full roll to secure.
Brush all exposed surfaces with the egg, fold in the sides, and roll up into a cigar shape. Repeat with the remaining skins and filling.
Heat 1-1 ¼ inches of oil in a pot, saucepan, or deep skillet over medium-high heat to about 375 degrees. (If you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if bubbles rise immediately to the surface, the oil is ready.)
Slide in a few spring rolls and fry, turning as needed, until golden brown and very crisp, for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain. Return the oil to 375 degrees before frying more.